TECHNOPOLIS ONLINE: FINNISH VENTURE CAPITAL MARKET IN Q1 2010

TECHNOPOLIS PLC PRESS RELEASE May 4, 2010
TECHNOPOLIS ONLINE: FINNISH VENTURE CAPITAL MARKET IN Q1 2010
In Q1 2010, 16 Finnish Companies Received Investments Worth €28,6 million
Technopolis Online has today released its report on the venture capital market
in Finland for the first quarter of 2010. The report announces that 16 Finnish
companies received 28,6 million Euro worth of venture capital investments.
Compared to the first quarter of 2009, the number of investments reduced by
two, and the value of investments declined by 5,3 million Euro (-16%).
The biggest investment of the quarter was made by the Swedish venture capital
firm Scope Capital Advisory, which invested 7 million Euro into Footbalance
Systems Ltd. The case was managed and advised by Technopolis Fundraising
Services team. Besides being the largest round of the quarter, it was the
single largest foreign first round venture capital commitment since the
techno-bubble burst in the early 2000's
Other key highlights:
- The vast majority of investments were made into first round (64%)
- Helsinki Metropolitan Area received 63% of all investments, and 65% of all
invested capital
- The most successful industry was life sciences with 9,5 million Euro in
investments
- Domestic investors were more active than in Q1 2009 (12 investments vs. 9
investments a year ago), but invested less capital (16,9 million Euro vs. 19,4
million Euro) -> The average investments size dropped from 2,2 million Euro to
1,4 million Euro
- Foreign investors were slightly less active than in Q1 2009 (3 investments
vs. 4 investments in 2009) and invested less capital overall (11,3 million Euro
vs. 12,4 million Euro)
Director of Technopolis Development Services Will Cardwell: “Domestic investors
continue to pick up most of the slack given the lack of foreign investors. The
biggest concern is that the median investment is far too small to support
significant internationalization, which is something that must be addressed.
The Footbalance investment is a landmark and shows that it is possible for a
Finnish company to be financed for significant growth. In addition, life
sciences and health-related investments are starting to pick up some momentum.”
The quarterly report is based on information from the Technopolis Online
service, and can be found entirely at www.technopolisonline.com.
Inquiries:
Artur Surov, Project Manager, Technopolis Development Services +358 41 501
0732, artur.surov@technopolis.fi
About Technopolis
Technopolis Plc provides business environments and services for
knowledge-intensive companies and organizations. The service portfolio ranges
from comprehensive business and development services to modern premises.
Currently, close to 1,200 companies with 16,000 employees operate in the
Technopolis centers located in Espoo, Jyväskylä, Kuopio, Lappeenranta, Oulu,
Tampere and Vantaa in Finland, and in St. Petersburg in Russia. Technopolis Plc
is listed on Nasdaq OMX Helsinki.
About Technopolis Online
Technopolis Online is a comprehensive investment database and virtual
matchmaking portal that offers complete and unbiased ecosystem coverage of
Finnish high tech. It covers all major high tech industries, companies,
investors, universities and key people. With dedicated national analyst team,
Technopolis Online is able to produce precise, relevant and valuable
information that is validated and exclusively in English.